Method of teaching geography.



M. MAN-SON.

METHOD OI TEACHING GEOGRAPHY. APfLIOATION FILED JAN. 5, 1912.

1 %2,%55 Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

\ 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l /I/ 0 f l 1 I l 1 .L 1 I i to m "I 1 I L l u g =ifla n 0) WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS M. MANSON.

METHOD 'OF TEACHING GEOGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1912.

8 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

////////////////////////////////fi/////l WITNESSES I INVENTOR fly M W A ATTORNEYS,

M. MANSON.

METHOD OF TEACHING GEOGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1912.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHBET 3.

m WW WITNESSES W Mfl Mil/MM MAIRSDEN MANSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

L METHOD OF TEACHING GEOGRAPHY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 29, 1912.

Application filed January 5, 1912. Serial No. 669,673.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, MARsDEN MANSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Teaching Geography, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved method of and appliances for the teaching of geography in all its branches, natural history and all kindred subjects relating to the earth, its inhabitants and its various conditions. j, p

The object of the invention is. to provide an improved method of instructing persons in the various sciences relating directly or indirectly to the earth.

A further object of the invention is to provide means and appliances for carrying out such improved method. I

In the drawings I have shown the pre-: ferred form of apparatus and appliances; for carrying out my method, but it is to be 5 understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein and in themethod without departing from the spirit;

of my invention.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of an auditorium constructedfor and supplied with the appliances for carrying out the improved method of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the auditorium showing the arrangement of the various appliances. Fig. 3 is a cross section through the stage of the auditorium taken on the line 33 Fig.1. Fig. 4 is a cross section through the auditorium taken on the line 44 Fig. 1 showing the stage. when the globe has been removed I from view.

Arranged upon the stage '5 of the audi-' toriu'm is a carriage 6 supporting a globe 7. The carriage is mounted upon a track 8. arranged preferably below the level of the stage, so that it will not be elevated to an extreme height above the spectators in the auditorium. The carriage is movable on the track 8 so that the globe 7 maybe moved backwardinto the compartment 9 when it is not to be used, and hidden from view by the doors 12 closing the front of the compartment. When the size of the building site is such that it is not possible to move the globe backward it may be moved sidewise into a compartment formed to one side of the stage,

form the proscenium arch and the trapdoors 14 on the stage floor, which are opened to allow the carriage to pass, may be closed to form a continuous stage floor which may be used for other purposes.

The globe 7 is mounted upon an axis 15 which is revoluble in the semicircular framepiece 16, which is concentric with the globe. This frame piece is movable over the rollers 17 supported by the standards 18 rising & from the base 19, so that the axis of the globe may be moved to any desired angle. The base 19 is rotatably mounted on the carriage 6, so that it may be revolved about a vertical pivot with respect thereto. .The mounting of the globe is such therefore, that it may be placed in any desired position to present a certain portion thereof to the audience, and it may be revolved and moved under the same conditions that eflect the earth. The globe is preferably made one-millionth the size of the earth or approximately forty-two feet in diameter and is provided on its surface with a relief map of the earths surface. This map or representation of the earth shows only natural geography and not political geography. The cities are located upon the surface, but no printing or legends ofany kind are delineated on the globe. In fact, the

globe is intended to be an exact duplication of the earth on a small scale and appears exactly as the earth would appear if viewed from a great distance.

Arranged in the auditorium substantially preferably in a room or compartment 21 below the seats 22 is a projecting camera or stereopticon for projecting legends and de- .I on a level with the center of the globe and lineations uponthe surface of the globe.

The slides for the stereopticon are prepared from negatives taken by a camera arranged in the position which is to be occupied by the stereopticon when the slide is to be proj ected. By preparing the slide from'a nega tive of the globe taken from the position 00- cupied by the stereopticon it is evident that when projected the features on the slide will coincide exactly with the features on the globe These slides, as prepared directly from the negatives show only natural geography, but by printing and coloring the slides any points or features in political geography, natural history, statistics or similar subjects may be illustrated. In this manner the one globe may be used to illustrate the political divisions of the earth from the beginning of history to the present time and simultaneously cause the student to gain a greater insight and a better knowledge of the subject than would be possible with the use of a globe divided into political units or by the use of a multitude of flat maps. As an example, I will presume that it is desirable to instruct the student in the growth of the United States. The globe would be turned and tilted'to present that section of the surface now occupied by the United States, to the camera, and a photograph of that portion of the surface would be taken. From this photograph, a plurality of slides will be made, the number depending upon the number of steps or periods desired to be illustrated. The various developments in political growth are then depicted successively on the slides, by means of colors, legends, boundary lines, etc., so

that when the prepared slides are in turn.

Upon one of these screens it is my intention to project data and statistics relating to the subject under discussion and upon the other, scenes illustrating various phases of the subject, either in motion or in still life. Presuming that instruction is being given relative to the cotton crop of the southern States, a photograph of that portion of the screen 23 may be projected data or statistics relating to the subject matter being shown on the globe and upon the'screen 24 may be shown motion pictures of various scenes in the cotton industry. This method will present a comprehensive description and illustration of the subject to the student which will undoubtedly cause him to assimilate and retain much of the information in such form that it will be of value to him. The number of subjects which may be taught in this manner are almost unlimited so that great advantages must necessarily accrue therefrom.

Arranged substantially central in the auditorium and preferably in the rear thereof I propose to place a projecting camera 25 which I propose to use principally to illustrate the seasonal and climatic changes on the earth, but which may be used for other purposes when desired. By placing the axis of the globe substantially normal to the projecting axis 'of the camera 25, a series of colored bands representing the zones may be projected upon the forward portion of the globe, and by revolving the globe on its axis, the various parts of the earth falling within these zones become readily apparent. By varying the position of the axis of the globe with relation to the axis ofthe camera tlie position of these zones may be shifted to illustrate the seasonal changes due to the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun. Many other features of physical geography may be illustrated by this means, which greatly aids in the understanding of these natural phenomena.

I claim: v v

A methodof teaching geography, consisting in photographing a portion of the exterior of a globe fashioned to represent the earth, preparing slides from the photograph and depicting'thereon subject matter to be illustrated, and exposing the slides to the action of a projecting apparatus so as to, project the image of the matter depicted upon said slides. upon the portion of the globe from which the slides were prepared.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand-at San Francisco, Cal, this 27th day of December, 1911.

MARSDEN MANSON.

In presence of H. G. PROST,

R. HEFFERNAN. 

